


Enterprise - Prologue part 4

by thepunctuator001



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29264610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepunctuator001/pseuds/thepunctuator001
Summary: The death of a stranger causes an unexpected chain of events
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Sadness

It had begun the day before when as she finished her evening shift Lieutenant Reed had asked her to join him in one of the upper deck meeting rooms. Although Reed did not normally display much emotion his mood was a somber one and he clearly had something on his mind.

I'm sorry to trouble you Sub-Commander", he put down his mug of coffee, perched himself on the edge of a meeting room table and sighed, "I've had some bad news relayed to me from Earth Security and I thought I should share it with you as there is a personal connection. Do you remember the Sergeant who helped you back at the Vulcan Compound?"

"Of course, Lieutenant" T'Pol wondered where this was leading. It had been a long shift and she felt the need to meditate. Working on an Earth starship was taxing and she had been looking forward to some solitude to renew her control which had become troublesome.

"Well Earth has it's share of problems at the moment, factions who are trying to cause trouble, and the Vulcan Compound at Sausalito was targeted last week. A suspicious package was received and StarFleet security were injured while trying to move it to a safe location for a controlled detonation. It was triggered by a remote device and Sergeant Smith was caught in the explosion - he died two days later from his injuries." Reed studied T'Pol's face to see her reaction. "There were no Vulcan casualties as I understand it."

T'Pol stared. The sergeant who had saved her life on the mountain, who had kept her warm in the snow, who had fought off wolves as they had been attacked, who had shared her consciousness albeit briefly. A total stranger. A good samaritan. She did not know the man before that moment, had no expectation of ever meeting him again, and yet somehow their connection mattered. What was this Human to her, a Vulcan, it was illogical. But it mattered. T'Pol stared at her right hand, examining it as if it was unfamiliar, her fingers twitched as an invisible pressure was applied.

"Sub-Commander?" Lieutenant Reed gently spoke.

T'Pol looked up, "Thank you for informing me Lieutenant" she replied, "I am not sure of the correct protocol in human culture but if I am permitted please pass on my condolences to his family for their loss." Her face was as smooth as porcelain, her voice almost a monotone, unchanging in pitch and without intonation.

Reed nodded. "Yes, Sub-Commander." He could see the news had hit T'Pol hard and that she had retreated inside herself. How might he encourage the taciturn Vulcan to open up for her own sake?

T'Pol looked down at the floor and then swiftly back up again as if a decision had been made. "Thank you for letting me know. I won't detain you further." There was a purpose now, a danger, a glint of dark malevolence in those eyes. With one last glance Reed bid her goodnight and quickly left the meeting room.

Vulcan's emotions are buried deep inside. Repressed through rigorous training so that they lay dormant, but ever present, waiting for an opportunity to bring shame on their host. T'Pol's anger at this unjust act melted her control like butter. She had just enough control to remove Reed from the room, but it was insufficient to make it back to her quarters several decks below, her hands clenched and unclenched as emotions raged unchecked.

The primeval Vulcan emerged, blinking it's eyes in the light, no barriers to emotion, no barriers to action. Outside in the corridor, unheard thanks to Enterprise's sound proofing and the time of day, there was a muffled scream and a thump as if something large and heavy had fallen to the ground. What happened inside would thankfully remain private…


	2. A friend in need is a friend indeed

An ensign had reported that one of the meeting room chairs had been torn from the steel bolts which secured it to the floor. Somehow the bolts had been sheered off by a twisting or rocking motion, the back of the chair bent at a right angle as it had been thrown bodily across the room. There was a coffee stain on the floor carpet and a single coffee mug which had some indentations in it, which the ensign had fancifully speculated to great hilarity and teasing, were in the shape of finger prints.

Clearly a prank by some of the more juvenile members of the crew, an expensive prank, and responsibility fell to the engineering department to fix the damage. Commander Tucker had shaken his head when his team had reported back but since he himself had enjoyed his fair share of high-jinks he didn't take the matter any further.

If Lieutenant Reed had any suspicions he kept them to himself. In truth he had a soft spot for Enterprise's Vulcan and did not want to cause her any further pain. It was a startling revelation however of exactly how dangerous a Vulcan could be in a pressure situation, even one with such a petite frame.

T'Pol was unsettled. She could not understand why her feelings should cause such mental and physical discomfort. The Human had been a stranger, her reaction was foolish, illogical, unbecoming. She chastised herself to put the matter behind her, angry at the Sergeant for making her feel this way, only to immediately regret those thoughts and wonder how she might have prevented his death. T'Pol's existence over the last few decades had become quite insular. Her family did not maintain close contact with her, as was the vulcan way, and since her work was frequently isolating she had few opportunities to form friendships or connections.

T'Pol could not sleep. Her embarrassment was extreme at what had happened. Such a loss of control was unthinkable to a Vulcan. She had heard the rumours which had spread on the ship's grapevine and was considering how best to approach Captain Archer to confess. This would of course have consequences. On a Vulcan ship she would naturally be confined to quarters, heavily sedated, and removed at the first available opportunity. Something like this would be viewed as a contagion to the rest of the crew.

On a Human vessel what would be their response? Her disgrace should of course be reported to the Vulcan High Command and Science Directorate - her career from that point would be finished. She would be lucky if she was allowed to remain in Vulcan society even as a pariah but there were remote colonies on the outskirts of Vulcan controlled space which might become her home. She sat in Enterprise's mess hall quietly.

Hoshi had finished her evening gym exercises and made her way into the mess hall to pick up a mug of tea. She liked this time of night, there were few people around and she could catch up on her reading undisturbed. Currently she was half way through a period drama from Earth's eighteenth century. She liked the feel of these novels, so far removed from modern technology, with the impeccable manners from the past. While she was far too modern to see herself relating to that society's rules she found the genre a pleasant bit of escapism.

As she waited for her tea to infuse she noticed a deeper shadow in the far corner. Yes, T'Pol was sat there, looking out of the porthole. Aware of the rumours circulating she had wanted to talk to the Vulcan but T'Pol's manner did not invited any form of communication verbal or otherwise. She had not reacted to greetings or Hoshi's smile. Something had to be done. Mug in hand she approached T'Pol.

"Good evening, Sub-Commander, may I join you?" Hoshi immediately sat down knowing that the answer would have been no. T"Pol stared. "I needed to talk to you. I hope you don't mind." T'Pol continued to stare without making a comment so Hoshi started to talk, words tumbling out as she tried to make it clear she was on T'Pol's side and wanted to help, offering her services as a confidante.

T'Pol had not taken in a word that the young communications officer had spoken, instead in her confused state she saw Hoshi's heighten emotional responses, her flushed face and anxious attempts to get her attention. T'Pol acted instinctively, as a Vulcan mother would to a young child, she reached out her hands and grasped Hoshi's to calm her down. Emotions were shared while T'Pol calmed Hoshi's mind, telepathically linked, whispering soothing Vulcan words.

At first Hoshi had been alarmed by T'Pol's unresponsiveness but when T'pol reached out for her hands she panicked and tried to pull away. Those slim hands which grasped her own, those hands which had recently wrenched a steel chair from it's fixings, those hands which were capable of delivering a force capable of crushing bones. She gasped, flinched, but then found her anxiety dissipating as the Vulcan spoke to her. Ensign, are you well? T'Pol's mouth had not moved but it sounded like T'Pol. Yes, Hoshi answered and T'Pol's hands withdrew.

"That was amazing" she said.

T'Pol looked at Hoshi properly now, "Indeed ensign. I apologise, I was thinking of something else or I would not have presumed to touch you".

"I've been really worried about you". Hoshi paused as she took in some information. "You think that your life, no.. your career, is over?"

A stray thought must have passed across during their connection. T'Pol looked about the room and then continued the conversation in Vulcan. "I must tell Captain Archer that I wilfully damaged StarFleet property. This information must be reported to Vulcan and I shall be recalled. I have let Enterprise down by my weakness and I am concerned that the mission will be compromised. I must apologise to him personally."

"No! That won't happen. I've been talking to Lieutenant Reed and he agrees that you were under severe stress. We want to help you." Hoshi looked tearful.

"That is illogical. Vulcan protocol is clear here and I must accept whatever punishment I am given." T'Pol straighten her back to sit more upright in her chair.

"Captain Archer would never punish you for something like this. You have to allow us to deal with the matter in a Human way. I'll talk to the Captain or the Lieutenant will. Please let me help you!"

T'Pol looked less certain. The ensign had no logical reason to help her, neither did the Lieutenant, but her mind was brought back to another selfless act. Humans concerned about a Vulcan? It was an unexpected act of empathy, not a Vulcan trait, but one which had first drawn T'Pol to study Humanity.


	3. The Captains prerogative

T'Pol had got back to her quarters to find a personal message waiting for her from Lieutenant Reed. It was a brief statement and question. 'Enterprise takes care of it's own. Please listen to this and let me know your thoughts. Lt.R'. There was a music file attached which T'Pol reluctantly started to play while she tried to meditate. Meditation had not worked for her recently, peace remained out of reach, as thoughts ran riot through her brain. She missed her candles which were back on Earth at the Vulcan Compound. Enterprise had strict regulations regarding the use of a naked flame on board ship. It was a childish thought and Illogical.

The file contained several pieces of classical music. Since coming to Earth T'Pol had only listened to a little music finding Human's use of deep bass to have an uncomfortable influence on her body and her moods. This was different, it had a mathematical quality to it. Greek Mathematician Pythagoras had suggested that there was a relationship between the changes in tone of vibrating strings and how they were divided. The grammar of music, the rhythm and pitch, had undoubted mathematical foundations. T'Pol listened entranced, the sound the violin produced was sparkling and pure, cutting through the other instruments in the orchestra, the musical structure and symmetry was fascinating. After making a mental note to thank Lieutenant Reed she retired to sleep her mind distracted as it replayed a particular sonata.

When T'Pol got to the bridge in the morning she was greeted by Hoshi who asked her to see the Captain in his ready room. She drew a breath and made her way to Archer's office which adjoined the bridge.

"Come in Sub-Commander. I understand from Lieutenant Reed that you wanted to see me?" He glanced up from his reports.

"Yes sir. I am uncertain how to explain myself but I must inform you about an incident on the top deck meeting room." she began.

"That's OK, I know about that," Archer cut her off, "I'm sorry for your loss. You should have come to me and I would have granted you time to deal with the matter." He glanced down at his pad and then got up and started pacing backwards and forwards in the small room, ducking down each turn to move underneath a bulkhead which awkwardly crossed the ceiling. "I need you to keep this to yourself, Sub-Commander."

T'Pol was non-plussed, uncertain what had just happened. No reprimand from the Captain who clearly disliked Vulcans and who, she would have assumed, would have taken the first opportunity to have her removed from his ship. "Yes sir."

"I'm well aware of the physical differences between Human & Vulcan physiology and your advantages. These differences are not widely publicised but if this story ever got back to Earth's media it would be blown out of all proportion raising tensions between our peoples. It is not to be discussed with the crew, or at least only to those already in possession of the facts, and strictly to be omitted from your report to the Vulcan High Command." He stopped and smiled at her. "Please don't break my ship again. It's brand new and StarFleet will take any scratches out of my salary."

T'Pol stared at him. Was that the end of the matter? Was it a political decision or had Reed or Hoshi said something to affect this transformation. Perhaps it was another example of empathy? Humans could be so confusing.

"Right, if that was all then I have another matter which I want you to organise. The crew are from a multitude of non-military backgrounds but, if our recent interactions with the Klingons and Suliban are anything to go by, I want them to be trained in basic hand to hand combat techniques and weaponry. Lieutenant Reed will lead on phaser training and I understand you have a background in martial arts. Can you put together a simple training programme for the next week weeks please?"

T'Pol nodded still in shock. "Yes sir" She was still expecting some form of reprimand. "will that be all Captain?"

"Yes, thank you Sub-Commander, dismissed." Archer looked back at his reports.

T'Pol left the Captain's ready room quietly ruminating over the strangeness of Humans and the extraordinary turn of events.


	4. Exercise is good for you

The crew had been split into levels of competency by Lieutenant Reed and between them they had agreed on a rota to raise Enterprise's collective skill set to an acceptable level. This was complicated by the need to keep ship's operations functioning seamlessly and essential tasks unaffected. In the end it was decided that day shift would work one hour longer to enable an hour of training for the night shift and then night shift would reciprocate the next day. The crew were keen to be involved in the change to their routines and excited about what it all meant. It had been tough on those who had no previous experience of conflict. The Suliban's attack on Enterprise had focused previously civilian minds to the dangers out here in space and the adventure had become a much more serious undertaking.

T'Pol and Reed took each session taking turns to lead or support as they drilled their trainees. It helped having Lieutenant Reed in the room because the crew, coming from mixed professions, were at times difficult to focus as they were not used to military discipline. At times it was like trying to 'herd cats' but his drill-sergeant technique kept people engaged.

All crew levels were involved, including senior staff, and T'Pol found it a fascinating opportunity to see their reactions as they were removed from their respective comfort zones. Even Doctor Phlox had attended although she felt that he was taking the opportunity to study Human responses to a strange environment. Her initial distrust of the Doctor had reduced over time and, although she still felt viewed under a microscope, she appreciated his skill and the diligence with which he applied himself. Phlox was also the only other alien on board this Human vessel. It was illogical not to seek out his company from time to time as their shared differences to the crew were in reality what they actually had in common with each other.

T'Pol had learnt the Vulcan martial art of Suus Mahna while working at the Ministry of Security. It had taken many years of study to perfect but for these purposes single techniques could be learnt quickly and mixed with basic Human Karate and Ju-jitsu. Martial arts originated for combat and self defence, frequently practiced between armed and unarmed opponents, but in the modern age they were mostly practiced for spiritual or fitness reasons or as an entertainment. Suus Mahna was a defensive practice to be used when Vulcan reason could not prevail. The more deadly side to martial arts was the province of the military, but as they were finding out, those techniques could not be guaranteed to work on aliens.

Klingon's for example are significantly taller than Humans and Vulcans. Their large and muscular frame is supported by an extensive and hardy skeletal structure making them extremely hard to incapacitate or kill. Their boney forehead ridges protected the brain, an eight chambered heart and third lung provided stamina, and many largely redundant backup organs, including an extra set of kidneys and even a backup synaptic network, protected them against fatal injury. A fierce and aggressive species by nature their path of natural selection had been driven by their harsh environment and intense competition.

The Suliban by comparison had chosen artificial selection, making intentional biological changes to give nature a helping hand, although these improvements were not characteristic to their general population. Such genetic alterations were expensive and not all Suliban agreed that the ends justified the means.

Hoshi had a touch of hero worship of T'Pol. She watched the Sub-Commander standing before her comparatively tall crew mates while she explained how they might defend themselves. T'Pol was petite in comparison standing 167 cm tall and weighing in at 59 kg. Even though most of the trainees towered over her the difference in height was rendered unimportant when she applied her Vulcan martial art skills. Initial scepticism had given way to interest and attention.

Demonstrations were initially performed with the Lieutenant slowing their actions to allow the watching group to digest and copy those techniques. The trainees then broke away into pairs while T'Pol and Reed observed and occasionally brought the group back together to explain a common fault. Commander Tucker was part of today's session and, while he appreciated Malcolm's skill, he felt an irrational need to bring T'Pol down a peg or two. Their interactions over the last few days had been spiky as he was beginning to feel replaced in the eyes of the Captain.

T'Pol asked for a volunteer and Tucker's hand was immediately raised. He sauntered onto the training mat smiling at the watching group confident that his Karate background was more than sufficient to spring a surprise on the smug Vulcan. Hoshi looked on appalled as she knew the Commander's opinions and feared what he might attempt.

"A common fault", T'Pol continued, "is to be over confident when applying your technique and misjudging the potential skill of your opponent". Tucker's smile broadened. "You should always be cautious when waiting for an opening. I recommend 'navorkot' to move out of striking reach and open your opponent to a strike from their blind side. Constant movement is essential when dealing with a much stronger opponent." T'Pol paused, looked slightly up, and addressed the Commander. "Please attack me from the front delivering downward strikes to simulate a much taller opponent."

Tucker glanced at the crowd rolling his eyes and launched a swift roundhouse kick. He had intended to pull the kick but the Vulcan wasn't there as she rolled under his leg to stand up behind him on his right. He turned quickly and struck forwards taisho uchi open palmed to push T'Pol back but again the Vulcan was not there. She had already moved inside his strike, sweeping his legs from beneath him, and the Commander tumbled to the mat. There was a smattering of applause.

Tucker pulled himself to his feet as the Sub-Commander ignored his outstretched hand for assistance. "You will note that the Commander's attack used force which causes the body to be off balance therefore enabling a weaker opponent to incapacitate without force." T'Pol turned again to Tucker. "Please try again."

Tucker's face was flushed. He had played fair by going easy on her but he would be damned if he was going to be embarrassed like this. He decided to rush T'Pol and bring his superior height and weight into the mix. Arms apart he lunged forward only to find himself spinning through the air as T'Pol disappeared from view, beneath his desperately grasping hands, rolling him onto his back.

T'Pol stood waiting for him to climb back to his feet eyeing him closely. She had noted Hoshi's look of horror and had wondered how to end the exercise without exacerbating the situation. She did not wish to embarrass the Commander but this was supposed to be a training exercise. "Once more if you please Commander and then we should break into pairs again."

Tucker decided to go back to basics. A southpaw stance, defensive, and alert to attack. T'Pol stood in front of him, wide open to attack, but with a deceptively easy looseness and grace. He swung a right hook expecting T'Pol to be evasive but this time she did not move out of the way. Her block was like striking an iron bar, shocks running down his arm as she quickly stepped in, placed one leg behind his and levered him onto his back.

They stood up, the Commander shaking life back into his arm, and flexing his fingers which were suffering from pins and needles. T'Pol commended him. "Thank you Commander. That was excellent. I assume that you have some training in martial arts since you knew exactly what I needed for our demonstration." She addressed the group again. "As the weeks progress we shall break this group into levels of accomplishment. The more advanced members assisting the remainder. Commander Tucker, you will be in the advanced selection."

"Trip…" He smiled as his natural good humour reasserted itself. "Thanks, Sub-Commander, and remind me never to be rude to you again."


End file.
